~ Apple-iscious Aromas!!! ~

Well, live and LEARN!
I created such a beautiful post for you, dear friends, and thought I'd be so smart and include a link...at the bottom of the page. When I created it, however, it posted atrociously large at the top of the page! So, I went back to edit it out and when I edited it out, I also succeeded in editing out the entire post! I truly could have cried, but since it was time to pick up the preschoolers and I didn't want to arrive any more puffy-eyed than I naturally am, I refrained.
But it was not easy.
So, now, I present to you my attempt to re-create today's post...
Have an App-papp-pappily good time reading...and hopefully, creating your own.  ;)
Much Love,
Clee

~CARMELIZED FRIED APPLES~

When creating many dishes, I do not measure. Sorry, I just don't. However, I really don't think that will present you with a problem for this simple, fun, nutritious, and yes, delicious dish!

Let's get started:

THIS is the finished product.

 Let's start with the Apples. I use mostly Granny Smiths, but include a few reds and yellows just for color effects. Use a bag of Granny's plus a half bag of mixed apples.  Leave the skins ON.  This nifty little gadget to the left helps me by coring and sectioning each apple with a single swift downward swoop. If you don't have one, I've found cutting, slicing and chopping jobs to be somehow calming...as long as I have time.

I use an iron skillet because I like iron skillets. You use whatever you like. Start heating the skillet on low heat.

Start with Butter. I use about 1/2 stick. Put it right in the skillet. Add any additional amounts  in small increments if it seems the apples are sticking. I prefer the taste of butter, but you may use a butter substitute if you like. Keep the heat between the low to medium setting...butter has a low burning point.

Put the apples in the skillet on top of the melted butter.

 Lemon juice is often used to keep apples looking fresh, but in this case, this is not the purpose. Here, we use it for a little extra tartness. If you don't like the zing, leave it out. I use about 2 TBS.

Next, sprinkle about a Cup of Brown Sugar over the apples and gently fold in, coating the apples evenly.

This time, I used Dark Brown, but you may use Light Brown or even regular white sugar...OR Raw Sugar, which is better for you, by the way. If you use white, I recommend adding a couple of tablespoons of whatever pancake syrup you have to give it that heavier taste afforded by the brown sugars.

This dish does not exist without Cinnamon. No substitutions here, please.

I use about 1 Tbs...or a little less.

While you cannot do without the cinnamon, you can do without the Nutmeg. I like nutmeg, but my family turns up their noses to what they consider 'too much' of it. So, if you're a lover of it, maybe 2 teaspoons, if not much-like my family, I'd use about 1/2 to 1 tsp. If you don't like it at all, don't use it at all.

(See how versatile this is?)

Add a pinch or two of Salt...or none at all if you're watching your salt intake. Salt is definitely not crucial.

Again, gently fold to evenly coat with all the spices and the juices that have collected on the bottom of the skillet. You'll want to do this from time to time as the apples cook.

Time for a coffee break!....or a spot o' tea!....Either way, take a break, preferably within eye-shot of your apples.

If you're planning to eat your apples immediately, cook them until tender throughout.

If you're placing them into a warmer/crockpot of any kind, only cook them until you can just get the fork through the wedges without resisitance. The warmer will do the rest.

This is your finished product...See the luscious sauce on the spoon?





At last! In the crockpot and ready to go...

Ummmm...Yummy!

~Enjoy!~

Falling in Love With Fall...Again

When Autumn at last arrives, it does so with presence. It stands center stage and we, the audience, intent on detecting its next move, watch as if hypnotized. We perk our ears like cats hearing scratches in the night. We collectively inhale the uncloneable fragrance of fallen leaves, dirt, apples and lack of humidity. Blended artfully together by the Creator, we call this, "crisp"-a woefully weak description of the decadent air of this intoxicating season.

Autumn comes just in time. Just as our culture screams both inwardly and outwardly for the change we have become accustomed to experiencing. No...it's more than that. We have come to need it. If not physically, then certainly, psychologically. And psychologically enough to make us believe we need it physically.

And within the change, we are changed. We are renewed. Breathing in the mysterious vapors of the fall winds, we breathe out new energies. Creative energies that spawn fresh ideas, talents and discoveries. Energies that rekindle passions and desires and for me, this means the rumblings of renewed interest in writing, cooking, painting, cleaning and reorganizing my surroundings.

I want to share some of these passions with you in the way our family experiences them...and since the smells of Autumn are part of its essence, I believe I will begin with a classic Autumn dish...In the next post, we will be making Fried Apples. Later, as those creative juices continue to flow, I hope to share Waldorf Chicken Salad, Stuffed Shells, and maybe with time, a few more flavorful items we love to eat around our homestead.

Loving seasonal changes and celebrations as we do, there is no guarantee of what the next post will bring. We may have a food one day, something else another, and back to food again later. There are plans, but vague ones, uncemented and easily changed. Because no one ever really knows from where the winds blow or to where they are going.

So, visit often - you wouldn't want to miss the things of contemplation this season promises to bring!